Mail-crane.



W. DILLON.

MAIL CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1914,

1,1 19,250. Patented Dec. 1,1914.

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WILLIAM DILLON, OF MELROSE, IOWA.

MAIL-CRANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 191 1.

Application filed May 25, 1914. Serial No. 840,808.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, lViLLiAM DiLLoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Melrose, in the county of Monroe and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Mail-Cranes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates broadly to improvements in mail cranes and more particularly to resilient supports for the sacks.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be simply and inexpensively constructed and which will readily perform the function for which it is designed.

A secondary object of the invention is to construct the device in such a manner as to allow the distance between the upper and lower sack supports to be varied.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a mail crane, showing the application of my invention in supporting a mail sack; Fig. 2 is an edge view of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4c is a perspective view of one of the supports detached.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown portions of a mail crane (J which includes an upright post P and upper and lower arms U and L. This structure is of common construction and is merely illustrated for the purpose of disclosing the application of my invention. The arms U and L are provided with U-shaped pivot members 1, on their facing edges, these members forming supports for substantially U- shaped clips 2, said clips being so formed as to provide bearing loops 3, engaged with the members 1 and parallel ears 4 which are disposed in spaced relation and which straddle the inner ends of flat leaf springs 5, said inner ends being held in yielding frictional contact with each other and with the ears 1 by a combined fastening and pivot bolt 6 which passes therethrough and through the ears 1. The intermediate portions of the springs 5 are spaced by bending the outer ends thereof inwardly as indicated at 7 to form stops for engagement with the rings It of the mail sack S. It will therefore be seen, more particularly by reference to Figs. 2, 3 and +l, that the inwardly bent portions 7 are held yicldingly in contact and that the outer surfaces of the springs, at their inner ends, frictionally contact with the inner surfaces of the ears (5. By this construction, the entire devices are allowed to swing around the members 1, when positioned as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the springs 5 may be swung laterally around their pivot 6 to position them as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which position they are retained by the frictional contact above described, this being extremely advantageous when the crane necessarily supports a partially filled mail sack, since it is a well-known fact that the sacks assume greater lengths when only partially filled and therefore, it becomes expedient to provide this means whereby the distance between the upper and lower sack supports may be varied. It may be here explained that longer sacks may, if desired, be supported by the arms U and L without adjusting the clips. This is undesirable, however, since such supporting of a long sack lowers its contracted center, thereby preventing the same from being properly received by the mail hook on the coach. It therefore becomes highly advantageous to make the adjustments above set forth.

From the fore oing description, taken in connection with the accompanying illustration, it will be seen that I have produced an extremely simple device for carrying out the objects of the invention, one which may be inexpensively constructed and which will effectively perform the functions for which it is designed.

Having thus particularly described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a pair of leaf springs having their opposite end portions in frictional con tact and their intermediate portions spaced, a supporting loop having an ear contacting frictionally with one of the springs and a fastening element passing through said ear and the springs whereby to maintain such frictional contact.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pair of leaf springs contacting frictionally at their opposite end portions and spaced intermediate their ends, a substantially U-shaped clip having its arms embracing two of the contacting ends of said springs and frictionally contacting therewith and a fastening element passing through said arms and the springs whereby to maintain such frictional contact.

8. A device of the character described comprising a supported bearing mounted to swing in a vertical plane, and a sack gripping member pivoted to said bearing to swing in a vertical plane at right angles thereto, said member being yieldingly held in frictional contact with the bearing.

4. A device of the character described comprising a bearing supported to swing in a Vertical plane, a sack gripping member having one end formed of resilient material, and a combined pivot and fastening element passing through said end and a portion of the bearing, whereby to force the former into frictional contact with the latter, the axis of said element lying at right angles to that of the bearing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM DILLON.

Witnesses MARK KENWORTHY, S F. OBRYAN.

Games of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C." 

